MTV Europe Awards: Manchester hosts Shawn Mendes, Raye and Rita Ora

Stars will descend on Manchester on Sunday for this year’s MTV Europe Music Awards, with a cast list including Shawn Mendes, Raye and South African singer Tyla.

Pop star Rita Ora will host the ceremony, which is being staged in the UK for the first time since 2017, with home town hero Liam Gallagher among the nominees.

Taylor Swift leads the nominations with seven in total, including best artist and best video for Fortnight, her duet with Post Malone.

She was up for the same number last year, but the ceremony, which was due to take place in Paris, was cancelled following the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war.

Other nominees include US singers Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and Billie Eilish, alongside British acts Central Cee, Adele, Fred Again and Coldplay.

Many are unable to attend, however, with Eilish, Swift, Carpenter and Roan all touring outside the UK.

Here are six moments to look out for at the show, which will take place at the Co-op Live arena, six months after the venue’s troubled opening.

It will be broadcast in the UK on MTV and Pluto TV from 21:00 GMT on Sunday and on Channel 5 from 22:00 GMT.

In September, Swift became the most awarded artist in the history of the American branch of the MTV Awards, with 30 trophies in all.

She can’t quite match that achievement in Europe. Even if she takes home all seven of the prizes she’s nominated for, she’ll only equal Justin Bieber’s record of 22 MTV EMA honours.

However, Swift could become the first person to win best artist three times. She is currently tied with Shawn Mendes on two.

Elsewhere, Beyoncé could become the first person to win song of the year three times. But her country hit Texas Hold ‘Em faces strong competition from two of the songs of the summer – Sabrina Carpenter’s Espresso and Chapell Roan’s Good Luck, Babe.

It might seem odd giving Brooklyn-born rapper Busta Rhymes a lifetime achievement prize in Manchester… but the musician has an unlikely connection to north-west England.

Before he developed his rapid-fire rap delivery, 11-year-old Rhymes spent two summers living with his Aunt Velma in Morecambe.

“That’s a fact,” he told BBC 1 Xtra’s Nadia Jae last year. “I’d never seen a white and a black person go [to school] together until I came here.

“When I was 11 years old, that was the first time I saw that in my life. In Lancashire, in Preston, in Morecambe, in Blackpool.”

Regarded as one of the greatest MCs of all time, he’s due to perform a greatest hits medley – which could include tracks such as Break Ya Neck, Woo-Hah!! Got You All In Check, and Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See.

The star said he was “beyond honoured” to get the global icon prize, saying the recognition was “not only a celebration of my career but also of hip-hop culture”.

It’s been widely reported – although not confirmed – that the ceremony will include a tribute to Liam Payne, who died in Argentina last month after falling from a hotel balcony.

The Sun reported last month that producers were “keen” to remember the singer, who won 12 MTV EMAs as part of One Direction.

He later used the ceremony to launch his solo career, performing his global smash hit Strip That Down at the 2017 ceremony.

If the plans go ahead, Ora is likely to lead the tributes. She duetted with the star on the 2018 hit For You, and he later called her “a true friend”.

Last month, she broke down on stage in Japan while performing For You to honour Payne.

“I can’t even sing this right now,” she told fans, holding her head in her hands.

K-pop band Le Sserafim are having a stellar year. They played the Coachella festival, topped the US album sales chart, and even lit up the Empire State Building in “fearless blue” to celebrate the release of their Crazy EP.

But Chaewon, Sakura, Kazuha, Eunchae and Yunjin have never been to the UK… until now. They’ll make their live debut at the EMAs, where they’re in the running for three prizes including best new artist.

Speaking to the BBC last month, the band said playing the UK was on their must-do list.

“Oh my God, we would so honoured to play in England,” said Yunjin. “I actually went to London on my own for a vacation – my first vacation – so it’d be awesome to go as a team, all together.

“Covent Garden was so pretty. It’d be so fun to busk there!”

Based on their past performances, the five-piece will be planning something a little more elaborate than singing around a hat with a bashed-up guitar.

Two weeks after launching their tea set, Pet Shop Boys will receive the inaugural “pop pioneers” award at the EMAs.

The prize recognises “their contribution to the world of pop music, including the groundbreaking sonic and visual spectacles they create for their fans”.

The award comes as the band mark the 40th anniversary of their debut single, West End Girls. Since then, they’ve scored 22 top 10 hits in the UK, including four number ones, and have just released a cover of the David Bowie/Mott The Hoople classic All The Young Dudes.

To celebrate, they’ll put on a special performance backed by the Manchester Camerata orchestra.

It wouldn’t be the MTV Awards without a show-stopping entrance or two. Who can forget Stormzy arriving in a police car at the 2017 show? Or Britney Spears kicking her way out of a block of Kryptonite in 1999?

The hosts have had their moments, too. In 2010, actress Eva Longoria presented part of the show dressed as a giant Spanish ham (see above), while Ed Sheeran and Ruby Rose spent 2015 shooting flame-throwers into the air.

Then there are the props – Lady Gaga performing Marry The Night on top of the Moon, or Bebe Rexha singing I Got You to a massive, furry letter “U” (this actually happened in real life and isn’t a Sesame Street fever dream).

With performances in Manchester by Raye, Mendes, Tyla, Peso Pluma, The Warning, Teddy Swims and Benson Boone, there are bound to be a few surprises in store.

Best song

• Ariana Grande – We Can’t Be Friends
• Benson Boone – Beautiful Things
• Beyoncé – Texas Hold ‘Em
• Billie Eilish – Birds Of A Feather
• Chappell Roan – Good Luck, Babe!
• Sabrina Carpenter – Espresso

Best video

• Ariana Grande – We Can’t Be Friends
• Charli XCX – 360
• Eminem – Houdini
• Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us
• Lisa ft Rosalía – New Woman
• Taylor Swift ft Post Malone – Fortnight

Best artist

• Beyoncé
• Billie Eilish
• Post Malone
• Raye
• Sabrina Carpenter
• Taylor Swift

Best collaboration

• Charli XCX & Billie Eilish – Guess (Remix)
• Future, Metro Boomin & Kendrick Lamar – Like That
• Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars – Die With A Smile
• Lisa ft Rosalía – New Woman
• Peso Pluma & Anitta – Bellakeo
• Taylor Swift ft Post Malone – Fortnight

Best new artist

• Ayra Starr
• Benson Boone
• Chappell Roan
• Le Sserafim
• Teddy Swims
• The Last Dinner Party
• Tyla

Best pop

• Ariana Grande
• Billie Eilish
• Camila Cabello
• Charli XCX
• Dua Lipa
• Sabrina Carpenter
• Taylor Swift

Best Afrobeats

• Asake
• Ayra Starr
• Burna Boy
• Rema
• Tems
• Tyla

Best rock

• Bon Jovi
• Coldplay
• Green Day
• Kings of Leon
• Lenny Kravitz
• Liam Gallagher
• The Killers

Best Latin

• Anitta
• Bad Bunny
• KAROL G
• Peso Pluma
• Rauw Alejandro
• Shakira

Best K-pop

• Jimin
• Jung Kook
• Le Sserafim
• Lisa
• NewJeans
• Stray Kids

Best alternative

• Fontaines DC
• Hozier
• Imagine Dragons
• Lana Del Rey
• Twenty One Pilots
• Yungblud

Best electronic

• Calvin Harris
• David Guetta
• Disclosure
• DJ Snake
• Fred Again..
• Swedish House Mafia

Best hip-hop

• Central Cee
• Eminem
• Kendrick Lamar
• Megan Thee Stallion
• Nicki Minaj
• Travis Scott

Best R&B

• Kehlani
• SZA
• Tinashe
• Tyla
• Usher
• Victoria Monét

Best live act

• Adele
• Coldplay
• Doja Cat
• Raye
• Taylor Swift
• Travis Scott

Best push

• Ayra Starr
• Chappell Roan
• Coco Jones
• Flyana Boss
• Jessie Murph
• Laufey
• Le Sserafim
• Mark Ambor
• Shaboozey
• Teddy Swims
• The Warning
• Victoria Monét

Biggest fans award

• Anitta
• Ariana Grande
• Beyoncé
• Billie Eilish
• Chappell Roan
• Charli XCX
• Katy Perry
• Lisa
• Nicki Minaj
• Sabrina Carpenter
• Shawn Mendes
• Taylor Swift

Best UK & Ireland act

• Central Cee
• Charli XCX
• Chase & Status
• Dua Lipa
• Hozier
• Raye